Might Guy's original body had long been riddled with injuries and hidden wounds accumulated over years of grueling training.
That was why he seldom activated the Eight Gates during missions.
After treatment from Tsunade and Kei Yamanaka,
combined with Tobi infusing some of his own cells into Might Guy's body,
his physical strength hadn't significantly improved, but his now-flawless physical condition enabled him to unleash combat power far surpassing anything he'd displayed before!
With all Seven Gates open, he completely overwhelmed Little A, who had not yet fully matured.
The relentless thuds of fist meeting flesh—
even made Kitsuchi—a towering 2.17 meters tall—wince in sympathetic pain!
To most ninjas' firmly held beliefs,
whenever talking about physical strength, the strongest were always the brute-force warriors from Kumogakure who mastered Taijutsu.
Who could've imagined?
Konoha's recent rising talents were like cheating in a game—actually overpowering the Kumogakure fighters!
Shua~
A ripple coursed through the air.
Inside Konoha's border outpost, Minato Namikaze used Flying Thunder God markers from Kei Yamanaka's ninja toolkit to materialize beside him.
Seeing his dear friend chatting with Iwagakure ninjas over tea, and glancing at the clearly one-sided fight outside the building,
Little Sunshine visibly relaxed, his face lighting up with a bright smile as he gave a respectful nod to Kitsuchi and Onoki beside him.
"Greetings, Lord Tsuchikage, former Lord Tsuchikage."
"Ahhh…"
Onoki looked Minato up and down carefully, letting out a long sigh.
"Huh...?"
Minato gave his dear friend a puzzled look.
What in the world is going on here?
Did I really look that bad?
Why did everyone sigh when they saw him?
"Jonin Minato, please don't misunderstand. The old man is simply amazed by Konoha's endless supply of genius-level ninja like yourself."
Kitsuchi revealed a simple-minded smile and explained Onoki's behavior.
Can't blame the old man for sighing.
When he wasn't Tsuchikage, everything seemed like it could be handled by the elders—no need to worry.
But now that he is the Tsuchikage… he wanted to sigh too!
"You're too kind, Lord Tsuchikage."
Minato showed his signature grin while scratching his head awkwardly.
"The Sunagakure delegation has arrived, though their journey hasn't exactly been peaceful either!"
Kei Yamanaka raised his head to gaze southwestward.
POOF!
A blazing eruption of Scorch Release tore through several kilometers away in a dense forest, sending waves of fire high into the sky!
Onoki, Kitsuchi, and the others immediately turned frowning faces toward the origin of the explosion.
Scorch Release Pakura?
Who was she fighting?
Their minds racing, both shot questioning glances at Kei Yamanaka.
"Don't look at me—it's not a Konoha ninja. The one starting the fight is Sasori of the Red Sand, the rogue ninja from Sunagakure."
Kei chuckled lightly, resting his chin in one hand as he leaned halfway across the table, using his extraordinary sensory perception to keenly monitor the distant battle unfolding kilometers away.
Countless waves of Iron Sand churned and surged beneath the earth.
Over a hundred uniquely shaped puppets flitted through the forest like fluttering butterflies.
Wearing the Kazekage's hat, Pakura used all her strength to fend off the relentless attacks from the Iron Sand Body and puppets, while covering the escape of several subordinates toward the meeting location.
If it were just a one-on-one fight.
Pakura wouldn't be too afraid of Sasori of the Red Sand—especially since his primary weapon consisted of puppets.
After all, in order to ensure speed, mobility, and easier control by reducing weight, most puppets were made from different kinds of wood, which had relatively low ignition points.
If hit directly by Scorch Release, they'd turn into useless charcoal within seconds.
Even if Sasori controlled the Iron Sand Body originally used by The Third Kazekage,
as long as she wasn't surrounded by a wide-range attack from the Iron Sand Body, she might have been able to hold her own until her chakra ran out.
Unfortunately, those around her were limited in power—including Bunpuku, the elderly jinchuriki of the One-Tail!
If not for Shukaku, the One-Tailed tanuki spirit itself, who couldn't stand watching Bunpuku fall behind,
and spat out a lump of sand beneath his feet to push him forward while grumbling under its breath...
this entire group might have been ambushed long before reaching the Land of Fire's border.
"Red-Sand Sasori?"
Kitsuchi wore a confused expression, completely baffled as to why the rogue ninja Sasori of the Red Sand had suddenly shown up to assassinate the Kazekage.
Swish—swish—swish—
Within just a few minutes, one after another figure of Sunagakure ninjas darted out from the dense forest,
landing upon the wooden terrain created by Kei Yamanaka's Wood Release technique.
Two slightly weaker Sunagakure Jonin looked back at the retreating Iron Sand Body that had stopped pursuing them, gasping for breath, their faces filled with relief after narrowly escaping death.
[Magnet Release] Iron Sand Body… over a hundred puppets…
Onoki observed the withdrawing puppets and Iron Sand Body emerging slowly from the woods, gradually knitting his brows tighter.
The Third Kazekage's Magnet Release Iron Sand Body was definitely renowned throughout the ninja world. Moreover, Sunagakure's puppets bore distinct markings that made them unmistakable.
But what in the world is going on here?
Is the Third Kazekage actually fighting the Fourth Kazekage alongside the Puppet Corps and rogue ninja Sasori of the Red Sand?
Has Sunagakure started internal conflicts?
"This... Kei-kun, didn't we receive news earlier stating the Third Kazekage was already dead?"
Standing atop a wooden structure, Kitsuchi stared blankly at Kei Yamanaka beside him.
"Yes. Chiyo's grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand, killed him and then turned the corpse into a human puppet. That Iron Sand Body we saw was manipulated by that human puppet."
"What? A human puppet? Wait—why?"
Hearing Kei's explanation, Kitsuchi's mind froze—he felt even more confused than before.
"Sasori's parents perished in wartime under the blade of Sakumo Hatake, a renowned Konoha ninja. After Sakumo's death, Sasori couldn't exact revenge, so he redirected his hatred toward the Third Kazekage, who made those decisions back then. Add in his obsession with 'art' and how Chiyo neglected him after losing her son and daughter-in-law... So..."
Kei put down his teacup, explaining everything he knew.
"...He kills the Third, then goes after the Fourth?"
Kitsuchi wore an extremely strange expression, feeling like he just couldn't follow the logic inside Sasori's head anymore.
His parents fell victim to Konoha's White Fang during the war.
Even if the enemy ended his own life, shouldn't his resentment be aimed at Konoha?!
This...
He actually betrayed and killed his own Third Kazekage, and now he's planning to kill the Fourth too?
"It's probably because Chiyo died, and he's taking his anger out on Pakura."
Kei Yamanaka said uncertainly.
A few days ago, when Chiyo decided to surrender, she had already resolved to die.
After properly arranging all major and minor affairs of Sunagakure and appointing Pakura as the Fourth Kazekage,
She drank poison and accepted death calmly.
Perhaps in Chiyo's eyes, the very moment she agreed to merge with Konoha, Sunagakure ceased to exist.
Born and raised in Sunagakure, and having single-handedly controlled its power that led the village into this dire state, she naturally deserved to be buried alongside the village beneath the desert sands.
"Chiyo, huh?"
Onoki gave a slow nod.
As an enemy, that old woman truly made people clench their teeth in hatred.
But at the same time, though she may have wronged many people in her life, she never once betrayed Sunagakure!
Hmm...
If it was Sasori of the Red Sand who killed the Third Kazekage, then this...
Forget it, forget it. The person is already dead.
The sins of a disrespectful descendant shouldn't be laid at the old woman's feet anymore.
Everyone's going through a rough time, after all!
Besides, some things really can't be blamed on Chiyo either. Konoha's current strength has become so overwhelming that they didn't even have a chance to resist!
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